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Surreal Estate: Weird Homes to Weather the Storm

With Hurricane Irene bearing down on the Eastern Seaboard, homeowners are battening down the hatches from North Carolina to New York this weekend. But if you lived in one of the uniquely sturdy homes on our list, Irene might pack a less powerful punch. From semi-subterranean shelters to conch-shaped fortresses, hippie dirt mounds to high-art domes, we explore some of the coolest places to weather a storm.

Advertised as "off-the-grid," this 3,140-square-foot home just outside of Taos, N.M is listed for $495,000. It has a spacious living room, fireplace and half-bath, kitchen dining area, patio and deck, and is powered by solar panels and a wind turbine.

The bedroom, encased in concrete and wood is surrounded by "mature" trees -- you know, like the kind you can have deep conversations with. Also on the patio awaits an appliance which may come as a surprise: a barbecue. Who's up for some grilled arugula!?
See homes in Taos, N.M.

These renderings sketch the designs of "eco-cottages," green homes that nestle into hills that will dot the perimeter of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous waterfall-straddling home known as "Fallingwater." The innovative homes were selected through a design competition, according to inhabitat.com.

The jury that selected the home reportedly stated: "In its subtlety, it is provocative and it carries forward the discourse about where architecture can move." Construction of the cottages is still in the fund-raising phase.

Tardigrade House is modeled after "the world's most indestructible living creature -- the Tardigrade," according to the designer's website. Don't know what a Tardigrade is? Neither did we. According to Webster's, it's a category of microscopic animal that comprises the water bears. The partially buried home constructed of styrofoam and cement is internationally "touted as the world's safest house," the designer's website proclaims.

The concrete foundation sits over a series of perforated drainpipes that carry away floods. While it may have the hardiness of something microscopic, the place actually turns out to be quite spacious: The three-story home contains three bedrooms and bathrooms.

Rock-solid homes don't always come cheap. This dome complex in Brainerd, Minn. costs $1.5 million. Financed by the Water Foundation. Polystyrene insulation under the concrete creates a "thermal envelope" that wraps around the structure.

Located in the sleepy Swiss village of Vals, this high-concept vacation home is literally built into the pastoral scenery. The brainchild of architectural firms SeARCH and Christian Muller Architects, the home was designed to "strengthen the surrounding landscape" -- not dominate it.

The Villa Vals booking site, which offers the home to visitors for 3,500 euros ($5,061) per week during peak season, notes that the interior is filled with furnishings by some of the most cutting-edge Dutch designers.

OK, we can't in good faith suggest that people seek shelter from hurricane force winds in this glass and steel cube -- but what a way to spend a rainy night in! From ground level, only the sleek cubic shell is visible. But for those invited in, the basement level pool is sure to please. Located in a wooded area in Long Island, N.Y., the 4,500 square-foot Sagaponic House is perfect for outdoorsy revelers.